The Washington critic., 1887-01-19
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

lUfllO UF IhE DAl.
People have an idea. says tho Nash
willie 1mericdn's Washington cor
respondent, that the United States Sen.
ate is the pcrsonilication of Chester
fleldian courtesy. This is fallacy.
Senators rarely pay the attention to
each other upon the floor which col
legians accord each other In their lit
erary societies. On the second day OF
the debate of the Interstate Commerce
bill / entered the press gallery half an
hour after the debate had opened. Not
single representative of the press was
present. / looked down upon the
chamber. Seventy five Members should
have been present If the popular i'm.
preston that legislators take an interest
In National affairs be correct. What
did see? There were nine Senators
upon the floor. One was speak
ing. What of his audience?
Three were reading newspa
pers, and of these, two had
their backs to the Speaker and were
paying no more attention than II he
had been parrot repeating his ''Polly
wants cracker" Two were reclining
In their chairs, their hands shading
their eyes, and, as well as could see,
fast asleep. Two were engaged in
earnest conversation, whose tenor
might as well have referred to the next
suburban or grand stallion stakes as to
the momentous question In hand. or
the remaining two, one was the col.
league of the Speaker, whom courtesy
perforce kept on the floor and the
other was writing letters. The other
sixty odd Senators were either at their
homes. in the committee rooms crack
ing jokes, down the stairs at the restau-
rint tables or looking into the eyes of
fair clients.
~
Besides himself, says the Chicago
Mail, probably nobody mourns more
over Senator Conger of Michigan than
does Senator Sawyer of Wisconsin.
Conger and Sawyer served several years
together in the House. The two Con.
gressmen struck up a strong friendship,
which led to definite partnership In
their legislative duties. Wisconsin
men who wanted to know how Sawyer
was going to act ON any particular
question used to pump Conger for his
opinion, and Michigan men did the re.
verse. When one was absent the other
looked after his business in the depart.
ments. Conger was always the spokes
man If speechmaking was required,
while Sawyer bore down heavy with
his Influence. Mentioning this alliance
one day recently, Senator Sawyer said;
II guess could do us Senator from
Michigan about as well as from Wis
consin. have worked Conger's post.
masters In for him and taken care of
his business so long that know it as
well as he does.
W.
Although there are but few who
suspect IT, 1t is nevertheless fact, says
the New York ,Grdphic, that Colonel
Ingersoll is one Of the most enthusias-
tic devotees of music, and as thorough
going a Wagnerian as can be found in
this city. He never misses q notable
performance at the Metropolitan Opera
House, and symphony concerts are his
especial delight. While conversing
with the Colonel the other evening the
subject Of music was broached and
the Colonel said that he got all his
musical education in two weeks, and
that that was enough to give him a
knowledge of the principles that would
serve him for lifetime. He made the
great discovery that there were three
kinds of music and these he classified
in the following original fashion: The
first kind was "heel music" or simply
rbythmical sound a succession of homo
geneous notes or q tattoo. This was
the lowest form. The second wa'
what he called "soul music,
or the repetition of dliferen
sounds In varying cadences, This ap
pealed to the feeling and the emotions
but went no further. The third anC
highest form of music was "though
music" which is represented onl,
by Wagner and his school, 1t was thi
form of music he said, which appealed
TO the intellect and made man think il
musical language. Wagner believed il
making his music speak with tone
rather than tunes, and the harmon,
which he composed swept over the sou
like great waves irresistible In thci
mighty strength when | 90 to lis
ten to one of WGgner's operas, adde
the Colonel, in an outburst of poetic In
spiration, Il feel like great rock
promontory jutlug far out into the sea
swept not by the briny blllows, but b.
waves and surgcs of the most eXquslt
harmony.
-
On his way down TO the Capitol /
Washington Wednesday morning, say
the New York Uorld Congressman
j. Adams met, in Pennsylvania av!nu,
Tim Campbell, to whom he said: "Tiu
have you heard the umor Of the deaf
of Mr.. Hewitt "Wby no. didn't
said Tim, aud | can scarcely belle,
it," After a few moments, though
full meditation, Campbell continue
"Whcn a man thinks of such thin
II is only another instance of Cley
lands luck, 1t seems that the Ion
removes every person who ever has
chance for the nomination again
him. "Yes," replied Adams, sc
ccpt Hill. "rhat Is true" said TIL
"llill Is hard fellow to get out of Il
way" But" continued Mr., Adam
o.. a 4 - \